Cyberpunk 2077: The Best Katanas (& Where To Find Them) (2024)

Katanas are among the best melee weapons in Cyberpunk 2077. These elegant-bladed weapons can strike quickly and deal great damage with each slice of the blade. Combine this with some interesting weapon mods and abilities, and they make the player a force to be reckoned with. There are numerous katanas in Cyberpunk 2077, ranging from standard Arasaka designs to powerful iconic melee weapons only obtained through quests.

For players interested in wielding these finely crafted swords, it’s important to know which ones are the best and how to obtain them. While it's hard to select a katana that is objectively better than the other bladed weapons in the game, fans pursuing certain playthroughs can certainly have their personal preferences regarding the katanas they wield in the game.

Updated May 19, 2024 by Ritwik Mitra: Cyberpunk 2077 is a game that deserves all the love it's getting right now, with CD Projekt Red's impressive updates doing a great job of letting players enjoy the best version that should've been released from the get-go. Thankfully, the fact that this game has turned its reputation around means that more and more people wouldn't mind jumping into this title to experience its brilliance firsthand.

There are many great weapons that players can use in the game that have been enhanced with the 2.0 Update, and katanas are no exception. Players will love using these weapons to slice and dice enemies, with some of the special katanas coming with unique abilities of their own that change the way players approach the wealth of combat situations this game loves to throw at the player.

Special Mention: Gwynbleidd

• Attack Speed: 1.9
• Damage: 148

While this weapon is technically a sword and not a katana, the moveset is pretty similar and it's the only "sword" present in the game. The Witcher 3 fans will recognize this sword as one of Geralt's blades that's extremely powerful and can make short work of enemies in no time.

Players are encouraged to kill enemies in quick succession with this blade to land a ton of critical hits, with players at low health almost guaranteed to net a critical with each hit. To make things even better, this weapon does extra damage against bosses, making it the perfect blade to whip out against elite enemies.

How To Get It

Players need to own both The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty for this weapon to appear in their arsenal. It's automatically added to V's stash if this criteria is met, with players being able to destroy most enemies in the early going with this powerful bladed weapon.

Here's a brief look at all the katanas in the game and where they can be found.

Standard Katana

The Basic Variant Of This Bladed Weapon

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 148

The basic Katana in the game is capable of five attacks per second making it a fast striking weapon. It comes in Rare, Epic, and Legendary variants, each with its own color scheme and design. Weighing only 4.5 pounds, it’s a solid melee weapon for close encounters or stealth attacks.

If players want to experiment with the blades in the game first before settling on a playstyle, then messing around with a Standard Katana is the way to go. It feels great to use and serves as a template for the other unique katanas in the game to build off of. If slicing through enemies ends up being a ton of fun, then there's no reason why players shouldn't invest in the various Blades perks!

How To Get It

Katanas are wielded by a variety of opponents in the game and encompass every tier, with the Tier 3 and higher variants being much harder to find. For players wanting a Tier 5 Katana, there are two ways to get it:

• Buy one from Coach Fred at the Megabuilding H10 in Little China.
• Craft One: Requires 30 units of the Tier 5 crafting components.

Katana Variants

Errata

Leap At Enemies And Guarantee Crit Damage On Burning Enemies

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 133

Players will love using unique katanas with additional effects in the game that do a great job of standing out from the rest of the pack when it comes to the many weapons V can wield. Given the sheer number of unique melee weapons in the game, it can be hard to decide in this regard.

Players who like to watch their enemies burn will love what the Errata brings to the table. It lets players leap at enemies and enjoy a 10% chance of setting enemies ablaze with each hit. While this is pretty engaging as is, what makes the Errata even more useful is that V is guaranteed to land crits on burning enemies, meaning that most foes will be down for the count in no time with repeated strikes from this blade.

How To Get It

"Disasterpiece" is one of the most harrowing quests in Cyberpunk 2077, with players finally rescuing Evelyn after spending a lot of time searching for her. Players have to tear her away from the scavengers who are using her for their illegal braindance activities, breaking into the Electric Corporation power plant that serves as their base of operations.

This place houses a forge where players can get their hands on this powerful katana. While rescuing Evelyn should always be a top priority, this doesn't mean that players shouldn't explore this area and loot as much as possible, getting their hands on several unique pieces of loot like this weapon.

Black Unicorn

V's Attack Speed Is Not Affected By His Current Stamina

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 148

The Black Unicorn is a unique variant of the standard Katana. Its main perk is a modifier that ignores V's stamina and ensures that it doesn't govern the player's attack speed. Aside from these modest advantages, it’s more for players with a passion for The Witcher 3.

The fact that the Black Unicorn was updated with more symbols to reference The Witcher shows how much love and care CD Projekt Red has put into developing this weapon. Since this weapon is available in V's Stash from the get-go, it essentially serves as a great weapon that players can use early on in the game to get a feel for this weapon type.

How To Get It

The Black Unicorn can be obtained in the GOG version of the game. Once the player owns this version of the game they’ll find the Black Unicorn waiting in V’s stash when they start playing. Alternatively, they can simply link their GOG account to the game and get this great katana instead!

co*cktail Stick

Bleeds Enemies If Optical Camo Is On While Striking

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 133

The co*cktail Stick is an interesting Iconic Katana. The purple blade comes with a great special modifier that's perfect for players who love using Optical Camo and want to catch enemies by surprise, making them bleed profusely in the process.

It’s a bit slow, but the damage is decent, and the Bleed shortens fights when it applies. While these buffs might not be the most powerful around, the co*cktail Stick is still a great weapon in the early game for Blade builds.

How To Get It

The weapon can be obtained during the Automatic Love questline. It’s recommended to be at least level eight when starting this quest to get the co*cktail Stick katana. To get it, players will need to call Judy Alvares and then meet her at Lizzie’s bar. After talking to Judy and getting Evelyn’s Cigarette Case head to Megabuilding H8. Before getting on the elevator make sure to have at least $700 on hand for the quest. The Cloud won't open until after 7 pm, so players might have to wait awhile.

It doesn’t matter if players choose Angel or Skye upon entering, but both require $500 and drop-off weapons. Use the safeword to end the encounter with the doll and get information on Evelyn leading to Booth 11.

Afterward, sneak into the VIP area. Find Tom who will direct V to seek out Woodsman. At this point go into the hostile room on the left at the end of the hall. Pass a Tyger Claw sitting at a table and enter Evelyn’s dressing room, the co*cktail Stick katana is on the table below the “Bliss” sign.

Scalpel

Increases Crit Chance And Causes Bleeding When Used In Conjunction With Sandevistan

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 148

The surgically precise Scalpel Katana is a fast-hitting weapon that is a beast to use if players have Sandevistan. Fans of the Edgerunners anime will love moving around in slow motion and cutting down enemies with great aplomb.

It all but guarantees to have an advantage against any opponent type. On top of this, it's just fun to see enemies be absolutely annihilated by the elements after being slashed by this katana over and over again.

How To Get It

The Scalpel is a reward for completing the Side Job Big In Japan. To start Big In Japan and get the Scalpel katana, go to the Afterlife during Act 2 of the game. Talk to Dennis and accept his job. Follow the directions to the outer edges of Kabuki and look for a box labeled “No Future”.

Open the tall container and call Dennis. Either kill Tyger Claws and lead the package to safety or sneak around with the package. Whatever path make sure the package isn’t discovered. Place the package in the back of a car and drive safely to the rendezvous point. After talking with Dennis the Scalpel katana will be rewarded.

Tsumetogi

Grants A Chance To Shock Enemies With Each Hit

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 163

The Tsumetogi is a swift, tough Katana that deals heightened damage compared to its regular variant, and that's not even getting into the main reason why players love this weapon. As they swing this weapon around, V will realize that this katana also shocks enemies, adding insult to injury.

This is a great Katana to use against more robotic units vulnerable to Shock effects and Electrical damage. Given the number of mechanical enemies in the game, this can serve as a specialized weapon to deal with such enemies.

How To Get It

The weapon is easiest to find if players are completing the Pisces Side Job. After completing the quest Talking Bout A Revolution, talk to Judy. Go to Megabuilding H8 and follow Judy up the elevator to maintenance to fight Tyger Claws. Ride the elevator to the roof and drop down into the glass room.

At this point head to Maiko’s office in the Clouds and join the meeting. Players can make whatever decisions they want. Before leaving that office be sure to grab the Tsumetogi katana lying nearby. Upgrading this weapon to its Epic variant only requires the Grease Monkey Perk and Legendary only requires the Edgerunner Artisan. This makes it a cheap but powerful weapon to upgrade.

Jinchu-Maru

The Last Hit In A Combo Is A Guaranteed Crit, And All Hits Crit When Using Optical Camo

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 148

The Jinchu-Maru is a phenomenal Katana. It hits like a truck as is, with the last strike of a combo hitting for critical damage every time. However, that's not even scratching the surface of what this katana is capable of. Optical Camo makes sure that every hit from the Jinchu-Maru hits for critical damage, and Elite enemies can be struck for higher damage too as a cherry on top of this deadly cake.

Basically, if the player deals the last strike against a boss, it’ll quadruple the normal damage. And that’s not factoring in the critical damage bonus if the player had Optical Camo active when they did it. To put it simply, if the player has Optical Camo active against a boss or opponent with a lot of health, it’s the best sword in the game by a country mile.

How To Get It

Players can get this sword during the main quest Play It Safe. The main quest Play It Safe begins with a call from Takemura. Go to Japantown Market and speak to him and take the shard. After some time, jump across the footbridge and take out the first sniper. Follow the waypoints leading to the next sniper and take him out.

Quietly follow the waypoints to stealthily take out guards. When approaching the footbridge by the parade make sure to wait for a gap in the floats. Otherwise, V will be trashed by the reactors. Follow the path to take out guards and make sure to knock out the drones to avoid problems later. Finally, take out the last sniper.

Now head to the Foyer on the 30th floor. Inside events will lead to the boss Oda appearing. The key to this boss fight is to keep moving to avoid his Mantis Blades, use cover when he shoots his homing Smart SMB bullets, and be sure to prevent Oda from healing by keeping track of his hiding spots. Once defeated, he’ll drop the Jinchu-Maru katana.

Satori

Leap Towards Enemies And Inflict Bleeding

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 133

A katana so good that most people believe that it was nerfed in Update 2.0, the Satori is still one of the finest and most dynamic weapons players can use even after this nerf. A huge part of what makes this katana so much fun to use is the fact that players can leap towards enemies by charging an attack from afar, which is pretty awesome in its own right. Along with this, a sheathed Satori can quickstrike to dish out Bleed damage as well.

On top of this, the game encourages players to pair this weapon with the Nehan, a throwing knife that causes Bleeding as well. If players attack an enemy that has been bled in this manner, players will hemorrhage said enemy instead. What this means is that players will essentially siphon an enemy's life force, healing themselves while also cutting down enemies in the most savage manner possible.

How To Get It

To get the best katana in Cyberpunk 2077, players will need to complete The Heist. Meet Dex in Afterlife after completing The Information and The Pickup. After having a drink with Jackie in the bar, follow the bodyguard escort to Dex’s booth. Drop off the bot, be sure to grab the Militech suit, and talk with Dex.

After hashing out the details with Dex and riding to the hotel with Jackie, follow his lead to get to the 42nd floor. Guide the Flathead to the chosen location. After the long wait, follow Jackie to the penthouse and grab any useful items there. Once the window is open, use it to head to the roof where the best katana, the Satori, is sitting inside the AV on the landing pad.

Byakko

Leap At Enemies And Perform Combos

• Attack Speed: 2.1
• Damage: 148

The 1.5 Edgerunners Update added a ton of unique content to the game, tying several aspects of the game into the lauded anime that compelled many players to give this game another whirl to check out the wealth of content that CD Projekt Red has added to the game. One of these additions is an amazing katana that is truly unlike any other weapon in Cyberpunk 2077, and that is the Byakko.

This katana allows players to leap into the fray of battle and kill any enemy standing in their way. The heightened coolness factor of this weapon is quite impressive and goes a long way in ensuring that players will stick to this katana for the long haul. True to its name, the idea of jumping at an enemy's face like a white tiger seeking out its prey is truly unique and one of the best parts of using this powerful katana.

How To Get It

This katana is obtained as a reward for completing all of Wakako Okada's side gigs. To put things into perspective, players need to complete the following missions before they can obtain this powerful weapon.

After all these quests are complete, a side job called Professional Widow will be given to V. This is just a glorified quest that compels V to check their stash and gain access to the powerful Byakko.

Cyberpunk 2077

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox One , Stadia , PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series S , Xbox Series X

Released

December 10, 2020

Developer(s)

CD Projekt Red

Genre(s)

RPG , Action